American expats in Spain fear for relatives and friends back home

US expats in Spain are fearing for their homeland itself as well as for families and friends.

It’s often forgotten that Spain isn’t just a retirement hub for British expats, as there’s also a strong USA contingent scattered across the most popular regions. Spain was one of the first countries to suffer high numbers of infections and deaths from covid-19, but the USA is now taking over as the most dangerous world country due to total mismanagement and a lack of appreciation and acceptance of scientific facts.

For Americans in Spain now unable to get home to help their relatives and friends through this once-in-a-lifetime emergency, fear is taking over for their loved ones and the home country itself. Favourite locations for US expats include Barcelona and Madrid as well as the sunshine regions of the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, with one couple who’d recently arrived in Benalmadena sharing their fears with reporters from a local English language online newspaper.

Bob and Anne Latimer arrived in Spain just four months ago, just before disturbing reports of a virus in China began to hit the international media. Bob’s major concern is the virus’s fast spread as compared with the slow reaction from the US government. The couple’s son is still living in Arizona, and his parents are increasingly concerned about his safety. Lou Stammers, another relatively new arrival from Las Vegas, is concerned the US authorities are not pulling out all the stops to ensure deaths are kept to a minimum.

Another American expatriate told local media he’s convinced the virus is China’s first attempt at deliberate chemical warfare and has been used as revenge for Trump’s trade wars and sanctions. He’s not the first expat on the planet to perpetrate this theory and won’t be the last, but his concern for his country of origin seems genuine.